Motivation is powered by Vocal creators. You support Dim Thoughts by reading, sharing and tipping stories... more

Motivation is powered by Vocal.Vocal is a platform that provides storytelling tools and engaged communities for writers, musicians, filmmakers, podcasters, and other creators to get discovered and fund their creativity.

How does Vocal work?Creators share their stories on Vocal’s communities. In return, creators earn money when they are tipped and when their stories are read.

How do I join Vocal?Vocal welcomes creators of all shapes and sizes. Join for free and start creating.

The Quest for Purpose

What is the purpose of life...

We all look for a reason to live, a reason to push through all of the bad times and the depressing moments that are unavoidable and inevitable.

We all want a sense of belonging to something greater than ourselves; otherwise, what would life be if it were meaningless?

Where would one find the answer to such a question?

Many people would assume that someone more knowledgeable than them would have the answer to this question. The elderly, the religious, the broken, the rich, the experienced.

But who's to say that any one of those individuals will have the answer YOU are looking for?

After all, isn't everyone's purpose different?

...

This is where my head started hurting, a lot.

I have asked many people, ranging from young, naïve-minded children to old sickly folk; and received too many differing opinions to come up with a verdict.

And that's when I realized my problem; I was looking in the wrong place.

Who other than myself would understand me the way I do?

Don't get me wrong; I do not, and will not ever understand who I am.

But is that not the point...

Is life not but a series of unanswerable questions?

...

This got me thinking, why were the people I asked so sure in their answers?

Do they have it figured out and I didn't?

Are they wrong?

The answer is, who knows—and quite frankly, who gives a fuck.

It does not matter if you find purpose in following a certain religion or even a certain TV show.

What matters is that you never lose touch of your curiosity.

It is our ability to be curious and think critically that allows us to learn.

It is our ability to learn, that allows us to teach others.

And so I ask once again,

What is the purpose of life?

It is to learn, and to teach.

Ask questions, learn as much as you possibly can.

Explore the world and explore your mind.

Do not shy away from asking questions that you feel are silly—my philosophy is that, if you feel uncomfortable talking about certain subjects in front of certain people, then that is a red flag that you are not with the right people; but that's a conversation for another day.

You must learn.

Stay humbled by the fact that you will never know enough, and to think that you do is foolish.

Those who think they are too smart have lost touch with their ability to be curious; and in being curious, you add a value to valueless things.

Ask yourself; who am I?

Ask yourself; how do I find out?

Act upon your thoughts, nothing happens without reason.

If you seek knowledge, you will learn.

You must teach.

What is communication but a platform to express your thoughts.

In elementary school, we were taught that we should ask any questions we may have, regardless of whether or not we think the question is stupid or not.

Why?

Because someone else may have that same question.

This is the case with life.

If you learn any little lesson; please, communicate.

Let others know, help others grow; you will find comfort in providing others with comfort.

This is what I call others-actualization.

If we keep all that knowledge in our brains, essentially hiding millions of dollars worth of gold in our heads;

we are selfish.

Teach others.

My father always told me that the most admirable profession is that of a teacher.

Teaching has allowed us to progress in life, to mitigate risks by learning from others' mistakes.

...

So what is the purpose of life?

To learn, and to teach what we have learned.

We are all students in the schooling system that is life.

We are tested every day; so study.

Learn about yourself, try new things.

Do things you hate.

Teach people what you learn about yourself, it will help them more than you think.

Let us live by this principle, and we will literally feel how much meaning our lives have.